Tag Archives: modcloth

Supposedly body-positive ad campaigns that claim to represent “all shapes and sizes,” yet come from a site that carries few plus size items, many of which run far smaller than true plus sizes. (Unique Vintage has only 85 plus size items available on their site right now, out of over 1,000 dresses, tops, and bottoms. About half of them are from Kiyonna; of the non-Kiyonna dresses, quite a few have size charts on which the largest size, 4x, is equivalent to a 16.)

I just can’t bring myself to care about images that don’t include any models who look like me, or stores that carry very few items in my size while they claim to champion all bodies. These campaigns don’t feel particularly new or revolutionary; stores like Lane Bryant have been parading hourglass-y, smaller-fat models around in their undies for years if not decades, and plenty of stores carry sizes up to 14 or 16. The same old “inclusion” that actually includes only a small minority of fat women doesn’t do anything for me, nor does the thin veneer of body-positivity that marketers have adopted as a trendy way to sell us the same old shit.

I’ll be impressed when Lane Bryant makes an ad campaign featuring models who wear all the sizes they carry, up to 30/32.

I’ll be impressed when Unique Vintage follows ModCloth’s example and actually starts making a variety of cute clothes in true plus sizes. (Which is not to say that ModCloth is perfect, but they’ve made some genuine big steps forward and shown that they’re responsive to their plus size customers.)

To be clear, I’m not bashing women who do find these campaigns exciting or inspirational. If they resonate with you, cool, you do you. I’m just not impressed, and I expect better.

I wasn’t sure what to do for the Alternative Curves December theme of time travel, until I realized that I had never posted pictures of what I wore to my friends’ wedding and rehearsal dinner back in June. The dress I wore to the rehearsal dinner is very Edwardian, and although the accessories aren’t, I think it still counts.

I know I’m a little late to the #FashionTruth conversation, but better late than never. I’m really glad that ModCloth’s co-founder Susan Koger has challenged the industry to change for the better, and I have plenty of thoughts of my own to add. Consider this my own open letter.

Dear Fashion Industry,

I’ve always loved fashion in one form or another, from the days when I pored over the rainbows of fabric colors in L.L. Bean catalogs to the time I showed off my new floral skirt for show-and-tell in first grade. I got really into style as personal expression in middle school, which is also when I became fat–so just as my interest in fashion deepened, I found myself excluded from it in so many ways.

Every teen magazine I read was full of unattainably-thin bodies, with only the occasional token plus size model who looked vaguely like me. As a young teen, I barely fit into a size 13, which was the biggest juniors’ size available in most stores–and then I gained weight and sized out of most juniors’ clothing. The fun clothes I saw in magazines rarely came in a size 16, and it was especially hard to find specialized items like prom dresses. It takes a toll on your self-esteem when you hardly ever see your reflection in media; when bodies like yours are portrayed only as problems to be solved; when you can’t find your size in most clothing stores you walk into, or can only find one rack of frumpy dresses at the back of the store.

Plus size clothing has come a long way since then, mainly thanks to the rise of online shopping. I have far more options today at a size 22 than I did then at a 16. But still, it’s rare to find my size in a brick-and-mortar store, so I’ve mostly given up on buying clothes in person. And women who wear a size or two larger than I do, let alone a size 30 or above, have significantly fewer options.

This needs to change. It’s not ok that such a large percentage of women and girls don’t see themselves reflected in fashion media, and it’s not ok that so many of us can’t find clothes in our size.

Life has been a little overwhelming since getting back from Europe. I’ve been catching up on all sorts of things and dealing with getting back to everyday life after my first adult trip abroad, all while adjusting to a new office (my current temp job has been moving me around, and I’m still not sure if/when/where I’ll get moved next). I have so many things I want to write about, and so many pictures to post! But it might take me some time to get to them. In the meantime, here are my traditional jumping-in-front-of-landmark pictures. 🙂

I love Boston because I come across gorgeous art installations like this one while just walking around.

FYI, there will be no Sunday Links next week, as I will be busy doing some fun and exciting things that I’ll tell you about afterwards. Comment moderation may also be a bit slow for the next week or so.